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The Hill is reporting that Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has vowed to filibuster the bill in the Senate to increase the debt ceiling unless a federal Balanced Budget Amendment is passed:

“I’m against raising the debt ceiling and so I’m resisting it,” Lee said after the inaugural meeting of the Senate Tea Party Caucus in the Hart building on Thursday morning.”The only scenario in which I can imagine not using the filibuster is if the leadership of both parties agree that as a condition of that they would first pass out a balanced-budget amendment.”

Additionally, another Freshman Senator, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has introduced a proposal of $500 billion of wasteful federal government spending:

Republican freshman Sen. Rand Paul introduced legislation Tuesday that seeks to cut $500 billion from government spending in one year alone, wiping out three cabinet departments and the entire foreign aid budget while sparing neither the Pentagon nor 2011 war-related funding for overseas military operations.

In his own statement, Paul said: “I am proud to introduce my own solution to the mounting debt our spendthrift, oversized government has accrued. By rolling back to 2008 levels and eliminating the most wasteful programs, we can still keep 85 percent of our government funding in place by removing programs that are beyond the constitutional role of the federal government, such as education and housing, we are cutting nearly 40 percent of our projected deficit and removing the big-government bureaucrats who stand in the way of efficiency in our federal government.”

Before and since Governor George Allen announced his intentions to run for the United States Senate in 2012 some Republicans have tried to paint him as “moderate” and “a big government conservative” among many other things. In a recent interview with National Review Online Governor Allen proves these attacks are simply untrue:

NRO: You’ll also probably hear that as a former senator, you’re a “Washington insider.” Now, “Washington insiders” who have lifetime ACU ratings in the 90s aren’t really the primary problem that I worry about –

ALLEN: [laughter] I was looking at my Americans for Tax Reform ratings — 95, 95, 100, 100. And National Federation of Independent Business on small-business issues: all 100s. Builders and Contractors, all 100s. Chamber of Commerce — all a bunch of hundreds. 100 percent, Christian Coalition. 100 percent, National Right to Life. Focus on the Family, 100. NRA, A-plus . . . I’m a conservative, and always have been a commonsense, Jeffersonian conservative. That mischaracterization of the facts and of my record is disappointing. I have always trusted free people and free enterprise and don’t like a meddling, nanny government that limits or pesters people in their lives.

I have always been fighting the establishment, going back to when I was governor reforming welfare, reforming education, and abolishing parole. [It was] the same in the Senate, just trying to reform the Senate in Washington. I have been a longtime proponent of a balanced budgetand presenting the president with the authority of the line-item veto, which I had as governor. One good example of that, one that people will readily remember is that infamous “Bridge to Nowhere” in Alaska. I was one of about a dozen senators who voted against that, to the chagrin of the leadership including the leadership of that committee from Alaska. That’s an example of standing up to the establishment, but also a prime example of why the president should have line-item-veto authority.

Since that video came out Governor Allen appeared on a few Virginia talk radio stations in addition to the Mark Levin show and taped and exclusive interview for Bearing Drift’s podcast. He also appeared on Fox News’s Hannity on Monday night:

Former Gov. George Allen has signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in his race for Virginia’s U.S. Senate seat. The Pledge, sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), commits signers to “oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses … and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.”

“I want to congratulate Gov. Allen for taking the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. The American people clearly showed their displeasure in November with the tax-and-spend policies coming from Washington. They want real solutions that create jobs and cut government spending,” said Grover Norquist, president of ATR.

“By signing the Pledge, George Allen demonstrates that he understands the problems of hard-working taxpayers nationwide, but especially the taxpayers of Virginia.”

“No one disputes that President Obama is a gifted orator, but we need the right actions more than the right words. People want to reverse job-destroying policies and instead unleash America’s businesses and entrepreneurs to create jobs.

“Since Senator Jim Webb went to Washington and embraced the liberal policies of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, we have had rising joblessness and skyrocketing national debt. Talk of simply freezing spending now is much more than a day late and trillions of dollars short.

“I’m one who believes that if government reduces burdensome regulations, keeps taxes low, and unleashes our plentiful energy resources then entrepreneurs in the private sector will innovate and create jobs so more Americans can achieve their dreams.”

Not bad for a “soft rollout”. Not at all.

Additionally, the Washington Post is reporting the first information on what is the beginning of Governor Allen’s campaign staff. Mostly familiar names on that list though not included are Americans For Prosperity State Director Ben Marchi who is expected to join the campaign once he leaves Americans for Prosperity in March. In addition two other well known Republicans are expected to join the campaign.

Allen also has banner ads up on a number of websites including the Washington Post.